Browsing by Subject "Sustainable development"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12

Open Access
Active particles in complex and crowded environments
(American Physical Society, 2016-11) Bechinger, C.; Di Leonardo, R.; Löwen, H.; Reichhardt, C.; Volpe, G.
Differently from passive Brownian particles, active particles, also known as self-propelled Brownian particles or microswimmers and nanoswimmers, are capable of taking up energy from their environment and converting it into directed motion. Because of this constant flow of energy, their behavior can be explained and understood only within the framework of nonequilibrium physics. In the biological realm, many cells perform directed motion, for example, as a way to browse for nutrients or to avoid toxins. Inspired by these motile microorganisms, researchers have been developing artificial particles that feature similar swimming behaviors based on different mechanisms. These man-made micromachines and nanomachines hold a great potential as autonomous agents for health care, sustainability, and security applications. With a focus on the basic physical features of the interactions of self-propelled Brownian particles with a crowded and complex environment, this comprehensive review will provide a guided tour through its basic principles, the development of artificial self-propelling microparticles and nanoparticles, and their application to the study of nonequilibrium phenomena, as well as the open challenges that the field is currently facing.
Open Access
Circular economy in the built environment: a systematic literature review on the role of digital technologies across regional contexts
(Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd., 2024-06-12) Aral, Duygu; Kayaçetin, Nuri Cihan; Durmuş Arsan, Zeynep
The built environment has a significant role in ecosystems and resource depletion. Therefore, its transition from linear into the circular economy (CE) is critical yet still progressing. While research on CE in the built environment (BE) is growing, an in-depth understanding of facilitators as digital technologies (DT) is required to accelerate its implementation. Investigating these digitalization efforts, considering the regional variations of developed and developing economies, needs to be deepened. This study aims to demonstrate state-of-the-art CE research, providing insight into how digital technology preferences evolved through regional context as a facilitator in the built environment. For this purpose, 80 articles were assessed by (i) descriptive and (ii) thematic analysis through a systematic literature review (SLR). The descriptive analysis highlights the trends in the literature on CE-enabling DT in the built environment. The thematic analysis indicates the prominent DT to facilitate the transition with a link to the regional context and related variations. The results identify integrated DT in CE studies and their relevance to the economic levels of several countries, and they show research gaps to guide future research. This study contributes to an emerging field of research at the nexus of the built environment, the circular economy, and digital technology by mapping regional research tendencies.
Open Access
Collective identity formation and the convergence of brics climate change policy
(2022-07) Kıprızlı, Göktuğ
This dissertation explores what explains the convergence among the BRICS, the acronym standing for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, on climate change, despite their divergent characteristics in terms of leading production sectors, demographic trends, population size, emissions profiles, and roles in the energy market. Based on the methodological principles of the theory testing branch of process tracing, there are three potential arguments driven by the existing theories to understand the phenomenon at hand. Hence, the dissertation utilizes soft-balancing of Neorealism, functional cooperation of Liberal Institutionalism, and collective identity formation of Constructivism. The main argument contends that the increasing interaction among the BRICS states, changes in the material world, and, as a result, the cohesion on the basis of collective identity have expanded the web of intra-group cooperation and collaboration within the club and generated shared ideas, discourse, and values on climate change-related issues over time. Adopting an interpretive discourse analysis, the dissertation also relies on primary textual materials consisting of the declarations of the BRICS platform, high-ranking state representatives’ speeches and statements, and other official documents. The dissertation unravels how their collective identity position the BRICS as emerging powers between developed and developing countries and urge their active involvement in tackling climate change in connection with their overlapping discursive, ideational, and policy frameworks. Thus, the dissertation contributes to the literature by unveiling the roots of the convergence among the BRICS, extending the timeframe for uncovering the shared BRICS positions, and marking the relevance of collective identity formation for BRICS cooperation.
Open Access
The development of a unit to integrate international sustainability goals into the ninth grade English language curriculum
(2021-01) Memişoğlu, Ezgi Selin
As we enter the third decade of the 21st century there are important skills we will need to develop to cultivate sustainable global communities. To address these issues on a global scale, people need to be able to communicate with each other. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to design a unit of instruction that can be used to develop students’ global English language skills and to contribute to the development of students’ environmental literacy. Aspects of instructional research design was used to develop the unit and to identify how it can be integrated into the existing Ministry of National Education’s English ninth grade English language curriculum. To ensure the validity of the design and to prepare the unit for future pilot testing, a review instrument was administered to post-secondary English instructors who commented on the pedagogic accuracy and shared their perceptions regarding potential integration of the unit. A separate instrument was given to environmental education and biology experts to ensure conceptual accuracy and to ascertain if the unit addressed international goals for sustainable development. Content analysis, supplemented with descriptive statistics of the quantitative data, was used to analyze the qualitative data and to decide how the unit should be revised.
Open Access
Dynamic risk spillovers between gold, oil prices and conventional, sustainability and Islamic equity aggregates and sectors with portfolio implications
(Elsevier B.V., 2017) Mensi, W.; Hammoudeh, S.; Al-Jarrah, I. M. W.; Sensoy A.; Kang, S. H.
This paper investigates the time-varying equicorrelations and risk spillovers between crude oil, gold and the Dow Jones conventional, sustainability and Islamic stock index aggregates and 10 associated disaggregated Islamic sector stock indexes (basic materials, consumer services, consumer goods, energy, financials, health care, technology, industrials, telecommunications and utilities), using the multivariate DECO-FIAPARCH model and the spillover index of Diebold and Yilmaz (2012). We also conduct a risk management analysis at the sector level for commodity-Islamic stock sector index portfolios, using different risk exposure measures. For comparison purposes, we add the aggregate conventional Dow Jones global index and the Dow Jones sustainability world index. The results show evidence of time-varying risk spillovers between these markets. Moreover, there are increases in the correlations among the markets in the aftermath of the 2008–2009 GFC. Further, the oil, gold, energy, financial, technology and telecommunications sectors are net receivers of risk spillovers, while the sustainability and conventional aggregate DJIM indexes as well as the remaining Islamic stock sectors are net contributors of risk spillovers. Finally, we provide evidence that gold offers better portfolio diversification benefits and downside risk reductions than oil. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.
Open Access
The effect of property rights on the relationship between economic growth and pollution for transition economies
(2007) Solakoglu, E.G.
The paper measures changes in environmental quality in transition countries from 1987 to 2000 because of economic growth and environmental reforms. Indication of property rights may accelerate the growth process, as well as the composition effect on the environment. Thus, we compare transition countries that are not yet members of the European Union offering poorly defined property rights with EU-member transition countries offering better-defined property rights. We find that although EU-member transition countries exhibit an inverted U-shaped relationship between pollution intensity and economic growth, with a turning point at $5,710, non EU-member transition countries do not support such a relation. © 2007 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved.
Open Access
The influence of sustainable design features on indoor environmental quality satisfaction in Turkish dwellings
(Taylor & Francis, 2016) Afacan, Yasemin; Demirkan, H.
The aim of this paper is to explore the influence of sustainable design features on occupants satisfaction levels with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) aspects in three types of dwellings. Satisfaction level was investigated through a field survey with 240 participants, in apartments, row and detached houses in Turkey. Satisfaction level was explored in terms of overall satisfaction with IEQ, with the efficiency of daily living activities and with sleeping quality. Satisfaction level was also investigated regarding the dwellings thermal, ventilation, lighting, sound level and moisture qualities. The findings indicate that the existence of exterior insulation, a thermostat, light dimmers and control of daylighting systems through operable windows have high impacts on the satisfaction level of occupants living in all three types of dwellings. © 2015 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Restricted
Limits to growth through functional specialization in a closed system
(1978) Fung, K. K.
Open Access
Measuring residential sustainability performance: an indexing approach
(Inderscience Publishers, 2019) Dizdaroğlu, Didem
This research investigates the environmental impacts of urban development by developing a parcel-level sustainability assessment tool to guide sustainable urban development. The paper introduces a GIS-based model called the ‘micro-level urban-ecosystem sustainability index (MUSIX)’, which has been designed as a policy-making support tool to highlight key environmental issues at a micro-level, concentrating specifically on residential developments. The model has been tested in a comparative study of Angora Evleri (Angora Houses, Turkey) and East Killara (Australia). Despite certain limitations in its implementation, the results of the study demonstrate that a parcel-based spatial analysis can be used as a tool to identify problems in current local policies and to suggest ways to improve their efficiency. As a future research direction, MUSIX could be combined with a new module for the evaluation of alternative development scenarios. By producing accessible, accurate and easily combined parcel-level data, planners, governments and other actors could benefit from the model outputs in many ways during the decision-making process.
Open Access
Rethinking social inclusivity: Design strategies for cities
(ICE Publishing, 2011) Afacan, Yasemin; Afacan, S. O.
Cities have become more fragmented due to the increasing urbanisation of many parts of the world. There is more inequality and a growing complexity of social life in cities that leads to social exclusion and increasing social differentiation. This study approaches social inclusivity within the context of universal urban design and defines it as a vehicle for promoting human wellbeing, environmental wholeness and principles of participatory democracy. Mat urbanism - an urban form concept that is more organic and fluid than other urban forms and models - is proposed, alongside a universal design approach, to achieve the goals of sustainable communities and enhance quality of life. The relationship of mat urbanism to the features of high-quality environments and sustainable developments is questioned and illustrated with simple diagrams. The paper concludes with the importance of universally designed sets of regulatory practices regarding sustainable architecture and urban development - from individual buildings to the district and city-scale level. The contribution of this study is not only to explore the potentials of Smithson's configurations theoretically but also to open new means through which towns and cities can be planned in the future in order to promote social inclusivity, environmental responsiveness, sustainability and universal urban design.
Open Access
Spiral microfluidics device for continuous flow PCR
(ASME, 2013) Salemmilani, Reza; Çetin, Barbaros
Polymerase-chain-Reaction (PCR) is a thermal cycling (repeated heating and cooling of PCR solution) process for DNA amplification. PCR is the key ingredient in many biomedical applications. One key feature for the success of the PCR is to control the temperature of the solution precisely at the desired temperature levels required for the PCR in a cyclic manner. Microfluidics offers a great advantage over conventional techniques since minute amounts of PCR solution can be heated and cooled with a high rate in a controlled manner. In this study, a microfluidic platform has been proposed for continuous-flow PCR. The microfluidic device consists of a spiral channel on a glass wafer with integrated chromium microheaters. Sub-micron thick microheaters are deposited beneath the micro-channels to facilitate localized heating. The microfluidic device is modeled using COMSOL MultiphysicsR . The fabrication procedure of the device is also discussed and future research directions are addressed. With its compact design, the proposed system can easily be coupled with an integrated microfluidic device to be used in biomedical applications. Copyright © 2013 by ASME.
Open Access
Turkey's experience with disinflation: where did all the welfare gains go?
(Routledge, 2013) Neyapti, B.
This article measures the welfare gains from disinflation in Turkey during the 2000s. Estimated welfare gains exceed the real output gains, which is likely to arise from persisting allocative inefficiencies, pointing at the need for further structural and institutional reforms for the benefits of price stability to be utilized towards achieving sustainable development. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.